Have you ever stayed up all night? And what for?

[BishopFrownofStThigh]

Might have to do this tonight...

How did you manage?

Lots of time when partying as a youngster, most recently my husband and I had the stupid idea that driving through the night to get as far as possible when the kids was a sleep was a good idea. Not a great idea, weather was horrible and pissing rain. In the end we had to stop and sleep for a couple of hours in the car.

Childbirth!

Only twice - first time with now exH who collapsed as he was coming out of the en suite prior to getting into bed around 11pm. Hit his head on the way down and was out cold for a few minutes. Ended up being taken to A & E by ambulance and I followed and didn't get back home til 7am so never went to bed.

Second time was a few weeks ago - had been in bed an hour when I heard someone trying to steal my car. Didn't sleep the rest of that night.

On both occasions I was lucky enough that something was happening to stop me wanting to sleep and was able to go to bed a bit earlier the next night

Long haul air travel. I cannot for the life of me sleep on planes.

One memorable all-nighter spent making my DD's Victorian-style costume.

Oh, and labour with DD. I was given pethidine so I could 'get some sleep' but all that happened was a very long drug trip (DD was dragged out the sunroof at lunchtime the next day.)

When I was tracking my friend swim the channel.

Queuing for tickets, finishing theses, finishing writing a book and with two of the kids while I was in labour. In general I'd just say don't go caffeine or sugar crazy, try fruit as if you drink coke etc you'll have quite a low after an hour or so and it gives the effect of a hangover the following day put on top of sleeplessness

Uni and regularly had to pull all-nighters. Good practice for work to be honest. Just remember to eat and drink properly.

Another lawyer...during deadlines for litigation

Partying, I seem to be getting crazier with age

At the start of my relationship with DP, we’d stay up talking, drinking and having sex (those were the days).

Travelling

When I was younger and had more energy I went to all night raves.

Last year I was awake for 36hrs as a birthing partner. It took me a week to catch up on the sleep lost. I definitely won't be going to any raves again soon.

Ha, I danced all night in a pub for charity when I was 18. In a sponsored danceaton. My legs ached but I lost 4lb in weight all in one night. I wish I still had that energy.

To buy the last Harry Potter book and read as much as I could in one sitting.

Working
Clubbing
The night my friend died, I was with her and the attending Dr gave me diazepam, but it didn’t work
Finishing uni coursework
Sitting with my “end of life” Dad
Worrying about lots of random stuff over the years
Labour
New baby
Slightly older baby (colic)
Asthmatic child
Poorly child in hospital

I really don’t sleep well, some nights I just seem to doze. I function ok though :)

I was awake for 36 hours, watching my sister die, slowly but hopefully not painfully, some of that was led on the hospital bed next to her. I didn’t sleep a wink despite trying to. I don’t think I slept for more than 2 hours at a time for a weeks after.

My dc2 had reflux and screamed for the first 10 months...I was like a zombie during those months.

I’ve sat up all night when my dc was discharged home from hospital after an asthma attack as I had to check obs every hour and administer inhalers.

I’ve also sat up all night when my dc have been sick.

In my youth, drinking, clubbing at raves. I used to work 7/8-5 in one job 5.30-7.30 in another go home get changed go out drink all night and be back at work by 7am in the next morning.

How I wish I could do that now

I’ve also sat up star gazing while camping, which was lovely.

Loads of times for work.

Many times for partying.

Once for a stupidly long walking race that took me 20 hours and then busy all the next day.

Regularly just with insomnia. Quite often two to three days with zero sleep.

Loads of times. I’m astonished you never have!

I rarely bloody sleep!

Over the years:

Heartbreak (first boyfriends)
Clubbing
Studying and frantically finishing assignments on time (in the days BEFORE even wordprocessors OooErrMissus! Typewriter, carbon copies and tippex job!)
Work (babysitting, then nursing)
To catch flights at stupid times
Waiting to hear from then husband if he was safe/had landed etc - army deployments
Labour
Dd
Divorce
More studying (this time with a computer - yay! - but buggered by server/internet crashes! You've never heard a groan like the groan of an ENTIRE university library at year end deadline when that server crashes at 11pm! I was only a 2nd year so not a total disaster but there were final year students in tears!) - included a particularly surreal night where planning and practicing a group presentation at mine (dd still little hence meeting at mine) fairly quietly (so as not to wake dd) - very weird "rehearsing" giving a presentation without raising voices and with much stifled laughter at each other's mistakes which became more frequent of course as the night wore on nothing to do with the alcohol also being imbibed oh no it's nearly 15 years since that night (😱) and there are certain things that STILL prompt reminiscence of that night on SM and prompt sharing of the most bizarre "misquotes"

More dd (past baby stage, at that time undx disability causing issues inc pain & injuries)
Own illness (MH and physical disability which causes pain)
Family/friends sick and waiting to hear
Dd again! (Now into late teen years - her going clubbing me worrying frantically!)

And yes I too can be guilty of "one-more-episode-itis on occasion

And yes! Moving home which I have done 25 times as an adult the joys of being an army "dependent" 😂

How big a place you packing up? Takes me an hour or 2 to pack up a room (houseshares/bedsits), I've packed up a 2 bed in 6 hours before now. You have to just not be fussy about what goes where but be careful not to pack too "densely" - eg DON'T have boxes that are all books or Crockery as they're too heavy to move then (not just on the day but to make space for other boxes etc). Mix in clothes and linens with breakables and you protect the breakables AND make boxes lighter.

At this point I find it FAR harder TO SLEEP than stay awake! Staying awakes a fucking doddle! I currently manage 4-5 hours per 24 and not all at once.

But...tips from when nursing and it wasn't so easy/well practiced

Cold drinks not hot - hot tend to cool and become warm and therefore soothing and soporific

Regular food but not high sugar as the sugar crash can knacker you so savoury/slow release carbs but also avoiding soporific foods (tea and milk are killers for this! There's a reason warm milk is recommended for insomnia)

Keep moving! If you feel yourself starting to doze GET UP! (We used to nudge whoever was dozing with a very delicate method of...tipping them out the chair and shouting "wake up!" 😂)

Talk! Even if just to yourself (worked in residential care, if having to do a repetitive task (especially admin) or "monitoring" type duty and risking dozing off wee conversations with oneself or singing songs helped)

Keep lighting bright!

"At 4.00 in the morning husband got up to see what I was doing and did in 30 seconds what I'd been puzzling over for 6 hours." Bastard! Kill him! We'll alibi you and even if it does get to court no jury would convict 😂😂😂

Yes, been known to stay up for elections too. The night Obama was elected I found incredibly moving.

To those who were junior Drs "back in the day" this was when I was training & then nursing. Genuinely terrifying what was happening then the public had NO CLUE! We had a 30-something lovely dr die from a heart attack just after completing one of those INSANE shifts! Otherwise healthy as far as I know. Heartbreaking. But in addition (and this is NOT an attack of those Drs working then but the conditions) I dread to think how many errors were made that killed or harmed patients as a result of that insanity! And yet we seem to be bloody heading back to those conditions!

For sleep deprivation testing for my epilepsy as having so many fits during the night - it was way harder than I thought it would be!

I was so cocky as used to do it regularly before the crash that resulted in my epilepsy.

Turns out it's actually hard to do with no drink or drugs - made me even happier I'm sober and clean now, it would be weird if it wasn't difficult!

Poor you, I set alarms on my phone for every 30 mins so that if I accidentally nodded off I'd wake up again before it became a proper sleep.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

58. Still can if work requires it.

In my 20's balls, parties, fun, watching the stars of the sun rise.

In my 30's some work (corporate finance) then children.

In my 40s late professional quals

In my 50s partying dc and an ill dd and generalised worry.

I'm really surprised that people see staying up all night as a rare experience.

I did a festival last month. Was up until 9am the first night, until 4pm the second (third) night/day and then 3am the final night. Could have gone for longer, but needed to alright to drive home.

@karkasaurus without drugs?

Some of it, yeah!

Gave birth. That may not be feasible for you tonight though...

The only time I've ever stayed up all night is on a night shift. Working in a hospital a&e, though there was no way to tell night from day unless I went outside on break, there was no daylight or windows 😆

It was much much harder to do night feeding with my babies, being in my PJs in the dark at home, waking every hour or two.

So keep the lights on bright and keep moving, eating and drinking, fool your body into thinking it's daytime.

Nights where I haven't be able to sleep due to insomnia/flashbacks/triggers.

When I went into labour with my girls.

Once when I didn't get paid, sent me into a massive meltdown and wasn't able to sleep.